Battle Tanks… Generals Walton and Watson rolled their tank battalions onto the battlefield tonight – a much anticipated showdown of the worst in the West. Relentless shelling was heard throughout the Valley of the Sun.

Walton’s forces pulled out to an 11-point lead in the third quarter. In the fourth, they stretched that lead to 21 before, General Watson amassed his troops for a final charge. They would cut the lead to 7 on a 15-1 run before Commander Russell dropped his sixth bomb from long range.

That was all she wrote. The Lakers won the game 122-110, and in the tank battle, lost a game in the standings to the Suns.

It’s been nearly a month since the Lakers last win. The awful Suns defense was just too soft not to roll through.

“They whooped us pretty bad before the All Star break, so we came in here really wanting to get this win,” Clarkson said.

Russell -- -- He went 5-5 from three before missing his first one. He said he’s trying to take his game to another level since the All Star break. Lou’s departure certainly was a factor in that, as well. Some foul trouble early that limited his time a little, but it wasn’t a factor. He looked very comfortable picking apart the defense and working with maybe a little more space at times than usual. Reggie Miller: “Why can’t Russell play like this every game?” Come on, Reggie. You were still in college at Russell’s age. “Our point guard led our team today,” Ingram said. “He kept talking. He was vocal today.” Russell said he tried to make a point of that. I think some of those miscommunications on the ice sequences defensively and a few other things has him trying to deal with that better. A couple of Russell’s assists tonight were to Randle from three. Having a PF who can do that makes the game much simpler for Russell. Luke like his team defensive effort early in the game. “He definitely was the leader of the group out there tonight,” Luke said. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 10-20 shooting (6-9 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He hit Randle for the three. He deflected a pass to get a stop. He couldn’t finish a layup over Len. He curled into the lane on a handoff off an inbounds and scored the layup. He swished a wing three out of a timeout. He attacked and pulled up for the wing jumper. Nice iso D in the post to get a stop on Bledsoe. He got a bounce on a wing three to fall. He settled for a baseline jumper instead of attacking the open baseline and missed. Luke like his team D in the quarter. He sank a sideline three on a kickout, then fouled again in transition after that (can’t take those when you’ve got two fouls). He had 13 points on 5-7 shooting. Second Half: He swiped a post entry, pushed it out and missed the layup, but Randle tipped it in. He put his man in jail, then hit Black for the dunk. He attacked strong to his left and scored the layup up against the shotclock. He missed a floater on a drive, got it back and missed the short one but Black tipped it in. He swished a quick catch and shoot from the corner for three. He knocked down a wing three behind a screen. He missed a wing three on a kickout. He attacked baseline and hit Ingram diving for the slam. He sank a wing jumper off the brush screen. He missed a wing three. He missed a percentage buster 60-footer at the buzzer. He probed and missed the short one, but Randle cleaned it up. He kicked out to Randle for a three. He missed a wing jumper. The Suns on a 15-1 run, Russell drilled a big three straight away to end the rally. He was intentionally fouled, he made both FTs.

Randle -- -- Hmmm. He took a few shots from three tonight, going 2-3 from beyond the arc. You hope as his range expands that this becomes a weapon. He looked comfortable taking them. It just opens up so much more for not only him but guys like Russell. Somewhat quiet night from him. He had bursts of energy and battled well on the glass. Not a lot of success on the iso sequences or when trying to attack off the dribble. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-11 shooting (2-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 8 boards (4 offensive), 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, 1 block and 3 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He swished a wing three when the D sagged off (looked great). He handed off to Young for the three. He lost the handle on a probe, turnover. Nice push out under pressure to kickout to Clarkson, who bricked. He missed a three straight away. He posted up and hit the cutting Clarkson for the layup. Second Half: He attacked a crowd and lost it out of bounds. He tipped in a missed layup in transition. He was blocked on a finish at the rim. He missed a fade across the lane. He blocked a shot on help D. He missed a layup, got it back, missed again and finally made the jumphook. He dove to the floor for a loose ball, but slid onto the sideline. He tipped in a missed Russell probe. He drained another three on a kickout. He attacked across the lane and drew FTs, he made one. He was blocked on a finish.

Ingram -- -- He was aggressively attacking the rim in this one. The kid is learning to play above the rim and it’s looking nice. “He’s always tried to finish around defenders. He’s starting to realize that if they jump late he can get up over them and finish,” Luke said. He’s looking more comfortable in little elements of his game. Just building on it piece by piece. There are still lots of holes. Reggie Miller wanted Ingram to make a thousand threes a day in the offseason (he said he would make 1,500 a day). Really, I think that’s what everyone is hoping. Work on that shot. Also the freethrows, please. He left a few points at the line tonight. “I’ve got to knock down a couple more of those freethrows,” he said afterward, so it’s clearly on his mind, which can be good or bad. He sure is getting a lot of run. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-11 shooting (0-3 from three, 4-8 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 3 fouls in 40:31. He was a +2. The Action: He missed a reverse, stretching out to try to finish, Black tipped it in. His man went for the steal, Ingram got control of the ball, attacked and was fouled on the throwdown attempt (that’s what I’m talking about), he made both FTs. His kickout was picked off for a layup the other way. He kicked out to Young next time down for a three. He missed an open wing three. He was blocked on a slow developing pull-up jumper. He swished a pull-up wing jumper when they gave him the shot. He jumped a passing lane, using that length to swipe the ball and force a foul. He attacked with speed, spun around one man and finished an And-1 layup over another, he missed the FT. Way short on a corner three. He attacked and hit Zubac for the short one. Another attack from the wing, he switched hands and finished with his left. Second Half: He missed a wide open three. He swiped a ball but was called for the charge on the dish off. He attacked off the three line and threw down over a Len. He missed a turnaround fade on iso (thought he should have spun aggressively and attacked the rim instead of settle). He attacked and dished to Black for FTs in transition. Weakside cut and Russell found him on a drive for the throwdown. He was fouled on a three with the shotclock about to expire, he made just one of three FTs. He attacked a crowd and drew FTs getting deep in the paint, he made one.

Black -- -- He had one stint in the first half before we shuffled through a series of centers. He picked up the activity level in the second half. Much better impact as a result. He was doing his usual thing battling around the rim, setting picks, finishing, getting to the line from offensive boards. There were also instances where the offense got mucked up a bit because of his limited skills. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-3 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards (4 offensive), 1 turnover, 1 steal and no fouls in 14 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He tipped in a missed Ingram drive. Forced bounce pass, turnover, dunk the other way. Second Half: He dunked off the two-man sequence with Russell. He tipped in a missed shot by Russell in the paint. He crashed the glass and drew FTs, he made both. He hit the floor hard, getting hammered from behind on a layup attempt, he made one FT.

Young -- -- Not a lot of run tonight for Nick as we went with some of the others for extended minutes. He got his shots up early, but really didn’t play too much. He made a couple of threes for his points. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 14:20. He was a +6. The Action: He missed a wing jumper on the first possession. He threw a pass to Black who was setting a screen, turnover. Corner three off the Randle handoff as the D got caught sleeping. He sank a three off the Ingram kickout. He was blocked on a drive. He missed a wing three. Second Half: He missed a wing pull-up jumper. XXX

Clarkson -- -- He led the bench scoring being his aggressive self, trying to get to the rim off the dribble or hit quick-fire jumpers. I wish he’d take a little more time and selectiveness with his three shooting. If you are struggling to knock them down, make sure you are getting the best looks you can get…not just any you can get. Clean that up and he’ll be much more effective. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-18 shooting (1-6 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He missed a wing three on a kickout. Not close on a sideline three on a kickout. He attacked past his man and missed a hanging layup. He attacked left, spun and hit the jumphook. He shed his man on a screen and hit the three with a three seconds left. Up high for a lob dunk but he couldn’t finish. He attacked with speed and dumped it to Nance for the easy score. He missed a turnaround (had a man open under the hoop). Quick-fire corner three and he missed (settle down and move the ball a little more). He hit Zubac on the screen-roll for the floater. Quick burst of speed to get deep in the paint and he drew FTs, he made both. Off ball cut and Randle hit him for the layup. He attacked off the high screen and scored a layup at the buzzer. Second Half: He drew FTs on the perimeter, he made one FT. He swished a pull-up jumper to start the fourth quarter. He missed a drive right next time down. He forced and hit an And-1 FT jumper over the smaller Ulis, he made the FT. He iso’d and scored on a step-through. He missed a wing three. He missed an open baseline jumper. He missed a wing jumper. He pounded the dribble and missed a three.

Nance -- -- Some of his shots were looking flatter than usual tonight, but it loosened up a bit in the second half as he kncoked down a couple of jumpers with better arch, including a three. He was certainly feeling some pain throughout the game on his right hand. You could see him taking it easy on some of the dunks after hurting it in the first half on a finish. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-10 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 8 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He missed a wing jumper, short. He missed a jumper from the top of the key. He dunked on a putback. Soft finish next time as he looked like he hurt his wrist a little on the previous play. Second Half: He missed a jumphook. He rejected Booker badly on a drive. He rolled to the hoop on the other end and put back down the Russell missed three. Better arch and he hit the top-of-the-key jumper. He sank a sideline three on his next touch shortly later. He threw down a lob pass from Brewer after a steal. He missed a corner jumper.

Zubac -- -- He came in during the second quarter after we went from Black to Randle to Nance and finally Zubac at the C spot. He went 5-11 in the second quarter for 10 points. It’s a good sign that he can get up as many shots as he can…floaters, jumphooks, jumpers, drives for scores. That just points to his versatility as a scorer whereas with a guy like Black, his limited offensive game bogs down the offense. “I was just playing my game and they were finding me,” Zubac said. He said he felt fine. Good to see him out on the floor again. It makes the games much more interesting to watch. The TNT crew were certainly loving him. And on Spectrum, Worthy said, “I’ll take him over Dwight Howard any day.” The Stats: He scored 14 points on 7-13 shooting (0-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He was blocked on a putback attempt. He swished an 18-footer on a kickout from Nance. He hit the floater on the two-man game with Clarkson. He missed a flat baseline jumper. Nice rim run and he was fouled under the rim. He took a pass at the FT line, shielded a defender with his body, attacked to his left and scored the And-1 with his right, he missed the FT (flat again). He blocked a drive. Low position in early offense and he hit the jumphook. He hit the one-hander off the drive and dish from Ingram. He was blocked on a jumphook. He missed a jumper off the inverse play. He missed a jumphook after a series of post move (might have been fouled). He missed a floater off the two-man game. Second Half: Left open, he sank the 20-footer straight away. He scored a putback at the front of the rim.

Brewer – -- Some nice moments in transition, especially with finding teammates for finishes. He had a strong +15 in just 12 minutes. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting to go with 1 board, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He missed a wild drive in transition. He was stripped as he changed directions on a drive. He hit Nwaba on the break for a dunk. Second Half: He tried to help on a roller and his man dunked in the lob as he couldn’t recover. He picked on the perimeter and took a foul. He swiped a ball with backcourt pressure and lobbed to Nance for the dunk. He missed a corner three. He scored a layup getting out in transition quickly.

Nwaba -- -- I’m not sure the last time I saw a Laker block a three on a closeout. It doesn’t happen often, but Nwaba had a nice one in the second quarter as he made up ground quickly to swat it out of bounds. His 10-day contract expired tonight but he showed some NBA ability and gave the team some rare defensive intensity. That’s worth keeping around right now as you’d hope it rubs off some on others. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-3 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 2 fouls in 14 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He fouled a guard on a track down attempt. He attacked from the wing and sidestepped around the D to draw FTs at the rim, he made both. Great job erasing a corner three on a close out (he got there fast). He got out on the break with Brewer and threw down. He missed a layup filling the lane. Second Half: He couldn’t finish a drive in traffic. He missed a putback attempt, but Zubac cleaned it up.

Walton -- -- Both teams traded hoops until the Suns went on a short run, getting out in transition and to lead 23-15 when the timeout came midway through the quarter. Every starter but Russell with a turnover to start this one… Nance in for Black. Russell starting to score and the Lakers trailed by 3 when the next timeout came… Nwaba in for Randle, Lakers going with Larry at C… Russell picked up a second foul with under a minute left and sat for Brewer… No D by either team. The Lakers made 6 threes and trailed 33-32 after the first quarter… Zubac in for Ingram… Lakers up by 5 when we went to Zubac, Nance, Ingram, Clarkson, Russell. That youth… Russell picked up his third foul with 4:21 left. Luke left him in for a bit before bringing in Nwaba… Man, this D… The Lakers trailed 63-61 at the half, giving up a 26-6 advantage on the break… The Lakers took a 4-point lead and forced an early timeout. Russell getting to the rim aggressively and bigs cleaning up dribble penetration… The Lakers started to get a little distance… Up 9, Clarkson in for Young… Nance in for Black with 3:42, Lakers up 9… The Lakers led 85-77 heading into the fourth… Zubac, Nance, Brewer, Ingram, Calrkson. .. Nwaba in for Ingram… Russell in for Nwaba with 6 minutes left… They got more separation… Late run by the Suns, but never close…

Interesting to see our known defensive players being prominent in +/- department - Nance, Brewer, Nwaba, Zubac. And then Randle at net negative again.
Why did Young play so few minutes? Was it something Luke wanted to change or was it Young playing poorly?
Zubac - only 3 rebounds? But one should obviously know the context. Perhaps he was busy boxing out and the rebounds went to others. Still an area to improve.

Fun to win for a change and see how DLO is learning to lead the team._________________.

Nice to see how Brewer is looking like the kind of veteran presence integrated to the young core we were expecting from Deng and Mozgov.

Brewer naturally plays at the fast pace Luke wants. He hustles on defense consistently and he generally plays within himself (doesn't take a lot of jumpers). I've been surprised and impressed._________________"I like looking at a guy's face when he realizes that even his best moves aren't going to work on me all night. They look depressed." - Ron Artest

Interesting to see our known defensive players being prominent in +/- department - Nance, Brewer, Nwaba, Zubac. And then Randle at net negative again.
Why did Young play so few minutes? Was it something Luke wanted to change or was it Young playing poorly?
Zubac - only 3 rebounds? But one should obviously know the context. Perhaps he was busy boxing out and the rebounds went to others. Still an area to improve.

Fun to win for a change and see how DLO is learning to lead the team.

Young got in foul trouble early which limited his minutes.

Zubac spent a lot of time boxing out Len which allowed others to get rebounds. Len really ate Zubac up on the boards the last time the Lakers played the Suns and I think Zubac was working to make sure that did not happen again._________________Rest in peace ODB (Old Doc Buss)!

Lots of energy last night, especially on the defensive end. Russell, Randle and Clarkson were pushing the ball and attacking last night causing the Suns to be back on their heels. No time to get up into the guards and push them away from the three point line.

Brewer, Nwaba and Clarkson off the bench really get up into the other teams wing players and make it difficult for them to initiate the offense. There were several 8-0 and 10-0 runs by the second unit due to the Laker defense not allowing the Suns to score.

In the first half the second unit scored 29 points and the Suns bench only scored 12 yet the Lakers were down by 2 at the half. Allowing the Suns bench to only score 12 points is a big deal to me. Shows me a lot of effort from those guys.

I am worried about Nance's wrist. It was already in bad shape coming into the game and he got it banged / jammed a couple of times. Would not be surprised to see him set out the next game.

L7_________________Rest in peace ODB (Old Doc Buss)!

Last edited by Laker7 on Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

I really hate living in the bizarro lottery world where every time the team wins they lose.

Yeah man. The last few years have been tough. The future is bright though. Remember how exciting the beginning of the season was? Imagine how great it is going to be once we can string those good games together and maintain it throughout the season.

It is going to happen. Unlike a few years ago, we have talent on this team._________________"I don’t give a [expletive] what you say. If I go out there and miss game winners, and people say, 'Kobe choked, or Kobe is seven for whatever in pressure situations.' Well, [expletive] you. Because I don’t play for your [expletive] approval."

Zub's statlines look something like Brook Lopez, given those good scoring but pitiful rebound numbers

Great game from most of the young core though!

That's not the stat that jumped out at me. It was that he did that in 17 minutes.

I kind of marveled at the 5-11 shooting in just one quarter for a 19 year old. That's not easy to do in the NBA for a rookie. And do it within the flow of the game or as the D dictated. He can run the floor, roll to the hoop, he can pop, he can post up, work the offensive glass, come off a down screen for a jumper and look pretty confident in everything. Such a steal where we landed him in the draft.